Oprah said that she will be making a ‘major donation’ (Picture: Instagram/@kakoo_haleakala)
Oprah Winfrey’s camera crew were not allowed to enter shelters in Hawaii that are supporting people who have been affected by the fatal wildfires.
The fires – which have become the deadliest in modern US history – have spread across multiple areas of the US state, engulfing the island of Maui and killing at least 93 people.
Several celebrities have spoken out about the devastating blaze in recent days, with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, 51, saying that he felt ‘completely heartbroken’ and urging those impacted to ‘stay strong’.
Meanwhile rock musician Mick Fleetwood, 76, who lives on Maui and was visiting family in LA when the fires broke out, revealed his first reaction, stating: ‘Selfishly I haven’t lost a family member, I didn’t lose my house. It could have happened, but it didn’t happen. But you immediately go, “I’m really lucky now what the hell can I do?”’
Oprah Winfrey, 69, who owns a home in Maui, was among those in the area lending her support – but the county confirmed that her crew weren’t permitted to come in to film.
In a post shared by the County of Maui on the government organisation’s Instagram Story, a message read: ‘Out of respect for those who have come to seek safety and shelters, our policy remains that no media are given access.
‘We welcome Oprah to continue to uplift our community’s spirit and give her aloha to victims of the tragic disaster and appreciate her understanding of our policy of no camera crews or reporters in our emergency shelters. Mahalo.’
The county followed up with another post on their Instagram grid, sharing that Oprah herself was allowed to visit and lend her support in the shelter, which was ‘truly heartwarming’.
‘UPDATE: To clarify, Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside,’ the caption said.
‘We welcome Oprah to continue to uplift our community’s spirit and give her aloha to victims of the tragic disaster.
The hall of the historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and the nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on Tuesday Aug. 8 2023 (Picture: Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP)
‘Her visit inside of the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters. Mahalo.’
In a video shared on the Oprah Daily Instagram account, Oprah spoke directly to her millions of followers about her experience visiting the shelter, saying: ‘What this week has taught me is that when you don’t know what to do, you do whatever you can.’
Having visited a shelter at the War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku, the talk show host said that she asked people what they needed before going shopping for supplies such as towels, sheets, shampoo and other necessities.
The talk show host spoke of the ‘incredible’ people she has met in the shelter (Picture: BBC)
‘At some point I will make a major donation after all of the smoke and ashes have settled here and we figure out what the rebuilding is going to look like,’ she stated, stressing that it will be a ‘long and difficult process’.
The media personality spoke about some of the ‘incredible’ people that she has met, having witnessed families ‘sharing a cot, an air mattress’ with ‘nothing else left to their names, but they are so grateful just to have each other’.
She hailed the ‘incredible spirit’ of the community, describing Hawaiians as a ‘strong cultural, family-loving people’.
‘You’re going to see a lot of phoenix stories rising from the ashes here,’ she added.
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Oprah said that she will be making a ‘major donation’.